Lock housing



Sept. 11, 1928. 7 1,684,311

0. N. FAIRCHILD ed July 27, 1925 Ill \HIL V /6 0m R yallgggi I Patented Sept. 11, 1928.

CHARLES N. mmcmtn,anemone,confinement, re ister, TO "rninemtn Loo 'CORPOBATION,. O zyonk,

N; r; 4 cortronA'rron or DELAWARE.-

'LOC'K Housme, j

Application filedfJ'u1y '27f192 5. Serial No. 43,369,

This invention relates to housings forlocks and has for its principal object the provision of a lock housing in which theunsupport ed 'l'ength'of locking bolt-between the casing and the tube of a steering postis redue'e'dto a minimum, and .in which the guide or support for this portion of the lockifng'bolt is strengthened again st the'stressresiiltingfroin an attempt to steer when the steering post tube'is locked'tothe steering post easing or jacket. a

further object of the'pre'sent invention isthe provisionof a'locking housiiig' 'for a steering post in which the usual "semi-cylindrical recess forthe reception ofthe steering post casing or jacket'is bridged by "a straight rib extendingns a chordto the circle of the steering-post so thzit the steeringpost casingmay be slotted to receive this rib by the were making of straight line 1 outs This rib not only preventsr'elative movement of 'the lock housing andthe casing butittr'ansmits stress from the 'free end er the bolt" direetto the-'rn'ain botly'ofthe-housing.

In the usual types ofsteering-pos't locks the housing sheltering the locking-mechanism is made in tw-o'piece s of unequa'l's'i'ze and each of these two pieces issiinilarly recessed to receive the steering post outer tcasing o'r jacket, each recess being semi-eylindmeal, and the two pieces are permanently secured to the column orijaclret by brazing, welding, or by binding thetwo piec'es together by bolts, the heads of which are later removed to 'prei'entthe unsere'wingofthe bolts.

In these types, due to the s ace existin'n between the steering [post outer casing ant the steering post-tube in ii-lloorii nei'cial posts with which "1 sin acquainted, the bolti's subject to a considerable bendin -moment'when it is attempted to turn the steering wheel when theautoinobileis locked Tthttsbeen preposed to *reinedythis by making a cylindrical boss on one or both of the housing parts, but this requires the drilling of a circular hole in the casing, and if the boss is quite small it, too,- is subject to bending stress. I

' Pvy bridging th'e serni-cylindrical recess of one or both pieces of the housing by ribs having a free face ina plane at right angles to the axis of the locking member or bolt.

and substantially tangent to the steering post tube the slotting of the caslng ismade easy, a snug {it may readily besecured, elnninatien o'f possible movement of the housing relativelytothe cas ng ls essu'red, and ample support is-givento. the locking bolt withoutin "any my sacrificing the desired freedom of 'lno vein'ent of'the steering post tube as the bridges'jare not intendedtocontactwith the tubeiinless an 'atternpt is niade to turnthe f 'steerin gwheelwhen the car is locked. By reason of l the great leverage obtained by the 'wlieeL'thetube is distortedhnder such cir- .cuinstanceshntl the two'bridges then prevent injuryto'the tube as'the clearance between the tube ind the bridges is just small enough not-*to interfere with the normal operation of steerin r i Inthe drawings? a Figure tie a seetional'view'looking down the steering post,tlie seetion being taken in a plane at right angles tot-he steering post axls. h

Figure 2 isa view'zit right angles thereto, showing the 'in'ajor p'o'rtion of the housing, that isthe portionth'at'contains the looking bolt.

Figure'S cap.

Figures 4: *and 5 The housing cap 'lO issecuredto the larger portion ll'df'the housing by'means'of one Way screws 12,,for3eXa1nple, the heads of 'isa similar view of the'l'iousin'g e i p I V lllustrate modifications.

which are preferably soinedist'ance fronithe =surface\vhen'sated; and the remainder of the "bore is'th'en filled with metal la'ttoprovide shown, which lo'eks'the steering post tube 17 figainst movement with respect 'to the steering postouter casingor'jaeket 16. o

g The rib or bridge 20 is preferably flat on. its free "surface '21, the 'edge of which, as

shown in Figure 1, is straight and forms a,

chord of tlie 'cirele 're iresenting theouter surface ofth'e easing "or'fcolunin, and this chord is parallel to a line tangent to the circle representing the outer surface of the steering tube 17 where it is intersected by the bolt receiving bore '15. Care rnust be exercised,

however, to see that no friction exists between the tube and the bridge, and if necessary the bridge may be concaved as at 22 to provide the requisite clearance. It is my pref- 1a smooth utersurf'aee ofthe housing cap.

distortion.

of 7 and are preferably plane as shown in Figuresl, 2, and 3, and the edges of the rib are preferably spaced away from all four as illustrated, shall prevent injury to thetube by preventing further elongation of the Inaedges of the semi-cylindrical recess, that is ithe two straight edges 25 and the two curved edges 26. The rib 28 of thehousing cap is preferably located exactly centrally of the recess for the casing, but the similar rib of the major portion of the housing is located at 35, which is sometimes convenient.

to one side of the recess in more convenient location for the locking bolt which passes centrally through the rib 20, thus placing the two ribs out of alincment with one another.

\Vhile I prefer that the top or free face of the ribs shall be rectangular in plan, this is not at all essential, and in Figure 4 I have shown the 'rib as consisting of a cylindrical portion or sleeve 30 having on either side a rib 31, integral with both the sleeve and the housing proper, but somewhat narrower than in the preferred form. These side ribs 31 may have tops at right angles to the axis of the bolt as inthe preferred form, or thetop surfaces-may be slanted down as at 33 in Figure 5, in which modification-I have shown the central sleeve as 'cylindrically concave as While the form shown in Figure 5 requires more time for the making of the slots in the outer casing of the steeringatube, the amount of metal removed is less thanin the preferred form illustrated in Figure 1.

\Vhat I claim is y 1. A steering post lock housing section of the typehaving a recess to receive the steering post jacket or casing, characterized by the provision of a non-circular member adapted to fit a similar shaped opening in the steering post jacket or casing to secure the housing against displacement with respect tosaid jacket or casing.

2. A steering post lock housing section of the type having a recess to receive the steering post jacket or'casing,characterized by the provision ofan lntegral memberspaced from thefour edges of the recessin which the major portion of the face of the member is substantially plane and at right angles to the axisof crossing t e recess as a bridge, and being spaced from all four edges of the recess.

4 The device of claim 3111 which the opposedfaces-of the ribs areparallel and substantially. confine the steering tube therebe tween.

the two ribs is shifted .fromfa diametrically opposite position with respect to the other I1b..- V r V t l 6., The device of claim 3in-whieh each of the ribs is provided with a central cylindrical recess to clear the steering post tube and one of the ribs is centrally perforatedto receive the steering post tube locking bolt.

H 5. The device of claim?) in which "one of h l Q 7. A look housing recessed to receive a cylindrical steerin to receivea bolt a apted tolockthe steering tube to'the casing, characterized by the provision of a transverse guide integral with the vision of a guide integral with the housing,

extending'through the steering'post casing,

post and havinga bore housing, iextending 'laterally through the surrounding the bolt to support the-bolt between the tube and easing, said guide having a rib on either side :thereof connecting the guide with r the wall of the semi-cylindrical recess, the outer wall or face of the two ribs lying in a plane at right angles to the axis of the bolt, whereby a side thrust on the end of the boltv in line with the ribs is transmitted through solid metal to the body of the housing.

In testimony whereof I alibi my signature. 3 I CHARLES N. FAIRCHILD. 

